The present invention relates in general to alarm systems, and, more particularly, relates to an alarm apparatus used in conjunction with water safety.
In the United States and foreign countries, the ever increasing popularity of water related sports and activities has resulted in a proliferation of swimming pools, boats and water proximate homes. Accompanying this proliferation of water-related activities has been an alarming number of water-related accidents. Such accidents represent a constant source of anxiety to all owners of equipment which may expose a non-swimmer, or even a strong swimmer who for some reason may not be able to swim, to an open body of water.
The most traumatic of these water-related accidents is the accidental drowning of a swimmer, and by far the most tragic of these is the drowning of a small child. It has been estimated by various sources that a child is most susceptible to drowning when that child is under five years of age. Such young children are difficult to protect, as they are active, inquisitive, unpredictable and often forget any training, either safety related or swimming skill related, in times of panic.
With over a billion swimming pools in the United States alone, and untold numbers of boats and ships, as well as vast amounts of waterside property, serious attention must be directed at preventing, to as great a degree as possible, such tragedies.
It is evident that life preservers, fences and other similar presently available equipment has not proven to be adequate to prevent such water-related accidents as, in spite of the existence and ready availability of such safety equipment, the number of water-related accidents still remains at an intolerably high level. The often cumbersome and confining nature of the floating devices represents the primary drawback thereof. These devices, therefore, are not conducive for wear, especially for small children. Fences and the like require preventive action to be taken by the pool owner. Such preventive action may be adequate in a usual case, but not for all cases, and there are many documented instances where a child simply climbs over the fence, and thereby exposes himself to the danger of an unattended pool. Accordingly, another protective means which will be conducive to use by all, but especially to use by small children, is required.
There are known devices adapted to be worn, and which activate an alarm upon the wearer's entry into the water. One such device is adapted for use near swimming pools and includes a transmitter attached to the wearer's clothes and which cooperates with a receiver mounted near the pool. The receiver is connected to the water of that pool, and upon immersion, the transmitter becomes operative and actuates the receiver. The receiver is connected to an alarm signalling device and operates that device upon receiving a signal from the transmitter. Because the range of the transmitter is limited, such a device is not useful on board a boat or in conjunction with a large body of water, such as a lake, or the like. Furthermore, such a device requires a pool owner to install and maintain expensive equipment, thereby further increasing the costs of an already expensive item.
Another known device requires the wearer to take positive action in order to separate the signalling device from his person. An immediately evident drawback to such a device is the requirement for a rational, thoughtful action by a drowning person. Obviously such action will not be taken by a drowning person, who most likely will be panicked, and especially if such a person is a small child under five years of age, even if such a child could be taught to use the device.
The present invention provides a small, self-contained and self-actuating alarm signalling unit which is worn on the person. The unit may also be used for pet protection, i.e., attached to dog or cat collars.